'The Big Squeeze'

The rise of the mammogram, and what it has meant for women

Dr. Handel Reynold's new book The Big Squeeze — Courtesy of Cornell University Press

Dr. Handel Reynolds talks about his new book The Big Squeeze, which takes a look at the history of mammography. He says that aggressive promotion of the procedure over the past few decades has led to the creation of a huge new medical industry. His book addresses both the benefits and risks of mammography, charting debates, for example, that have weighed the early detection of aggressively malignant tumors against unnecessary treatments resulting from the identification of slow-growing and non-life-threatening cancers. The Big Squeeze aims to evaluate the ongoing public health controversies surrounding mammography and offer a clear understanding of how mammography achieved its current primacy in cancer screening.